Read 2 Timothy 1:5

Paul knew Timothy's heritage. He knew that the things that characterised the grandmother and the mother characterised Timothy. That's the way sincere faith works.

Listen to this, moms! Please read my words carefully. 

A church, a Christian school, a circle of Christian friends can deposit facts into heads. But they cannot translate truth into authentic living. Those avenues can't make it "real." 

Truth doesn't weave itself into real fleshed-out life until it flows through you. 

Kids gather the facts. They learn them from the books. They see it in print on a page. But then they look to you to see it modelled into a sincere kind of faith.

Believe me, we can give our children the words to say, we can convey Christian concepts until we turn a deep shade of blue, but they won't fit reality until our young see the reality of such truths in the home.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.